Cape Town - Five men were handed hefty prison sentences at the George Regional Court for their roles in a cable theft syndicate, worth an estimated R15 million.
The five operated their Johannesburg-based syndicate where they stole Telkom, Transnet and Eskom overhead copper cables between 2012 and 2015, said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila.
Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said: “The arrest came as a result of a non-ferrous metal investigation led by the Hawks team of an identified criminal enterprise operating nationally where they made use of rented vehicles to steal overhead copper from Telkom, Eskom and Transnet.
“It is reported that the scrap metal owner who was operating from Malvern Scrap Metal colluded with four other accused by cutting and stealing copper cables all over the country and thereafter transport the stolen copper cables to Malvern scrap metals, where they were sold. The owner would then pay the other four accused with cash or cheques from his company account,” said Hani.
Malome Matsetela, Amos Ngobeni, Samuel Ngwenya, Linda Malopi and Wilson Khoza were also convicted and sentenced on racketeering and money-laundering charges.
“Matsetela was sentenced to 40 years’ imprisonment. The court sentenced him to 27 years’ imprisonment for racketeering and 10 years’ imprisonment for four counts of money laundering. The court ordered some of the sentences to run concurrently, leaving him to serve an effective 18-year imprisonment.”
Ngobeni was sentenced to 39 years’ imprisonment in total, but the court ordered some of the sentences to run concurrently.
“He was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for racketeering, 23 years’ imprisonment for theft of overhead cables between Oudtshoorn and Prince Albert, Pofadder and Kenhardt, Steinkopf and Port Nolloth and in Williston. He was further sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for four counts of money laundering. He is going to serve an effective 15-year imprisonment,” said Ntabazalila.
Accomplice Ngwenya received eight years’ imprisonment for racketeering, 27 years’ imprisonment for theft of overhead copper cables between Pofadder and Kenhardt, Steinkopf and Port Nolloth and Williston.
“He was handed a further 10 years’ imprisonment for four counts of money laundering. He will serve an effective eight-year imprisonment after some of his sentences in the combined 35 years’ imprisonment were ordered to run concurrently.”
Malopi will serve an effective 17-year imprisonment instead of the 31-year sentence handed down to him as the court ordered some of his sentences to run concurrently.
“He was handed eight years’ imprisonment for racketeering, 15 years’ imprisonment for theft of overhead cable between Pofadder and Kenhardt and Steinkopf and Port Nolloth. He also received eight years’ imprisonment for three counts of money laundering,” said Ntabazalila.
Khoza will also serve eight years’ imprisonment instead of the 18 years’ imprisonment imposed on him. Khoza was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for racketeering and 10 years’ imprisonment for theft of overhead cables in Kimberley and Brakpan.
Ntabazalila said: “The syndicate’s spree on infrastructure plundering came to a halt in the early hours of 10 November 2012 when a silent alarm was triggered after Ngobeni and Ngwenya cut the Telkom overhead cables between Oudtshoorn and Prince Albert. Police arrested them and overheard them saying they were supposed to be picked up with the stolen overhead Telkom cables by a third suspect. Police noticed a vehicle driving in the direction where the suspects were arrested and gave chase. The driver of the vehicle abandoned the vehicle and ran away. The investigation was then taken over by the Hawks George Unit due to the increase in Telkom overhead cables theft in the Southern Cape at the time,” said Ntabazalila.
Cape Times